Matt B Blogging

019. Sun-Down-Time

[Spending XP - making Wayfinder a companion]

Mongoose, Halia, feels safe surrounded by thousands aboard a fully functional and provisioned space station. The chest-tightening anxiety of the need to get out of sector seems a bit diminished. Even her distrust of Wayfinder has softened, as she looks at the broad back of her new crewmate descending the ramp before her.

Halia is out of her vacsuit for the first time in weeks. She's wearing olive green shalwar style pants, but made out of a tough synthetic cotton, high waisted, baggy pants tucked into steel-capped boots. Tucked into those is a lemon coloured sleeveless turtleneck, over which she wears a glossy white plastic bolero style jacket.

Wayfinder was shocked to see her "dressed up" when she came out of her cabin. "Who knew you owned anything other than that vacsuit?" she'd said. Mongoose got defensive, but couldn't think of a retort, so busied herself putting the AI core, and nav computer into satchels, handing Wayfinder the AI core bag to carry.

They take a lift "down" to the habitat ring of Sundown Orbital - through one of the 4 spokes connecting the ring to the axis. It deposits them in the middle of an adminstrative area. The ceiling is high, and glass, and around the curve they can see much of the layout. Spinward seems to be machine shops and manufacturing. Trailward a commerical district and then farming and residential.

Mongoose heads to the nearby Kiosk and slots in UV's navcore, puts up a few more Passages for sale, collects some creds from previous Passages she's put on the market. Nothing interesting on the Grub Hub. No public bounties out on her or Wayfinder, or the Ultraviolet, but there are private Bounty Hunter boards she doesn't have a key for.

Is there mention of an Eveline "Zephyr" Barlowe on station?

[Gather Information: 5 vs 6 | 8 Miss]

Halia's shoulders slump. "Damnit!"

"What's up Ace?" Wayfinder asks, arms folded, leaning against the wall next to the kiosk, puffing on a vape-pen

"Eveline, Zephyr, no record of her on station. I think she's left."

"Well. Shit. OK, it was a good lead, and there's lots of people on station to ask. I'm on good terms with a few different groups. I can ask around. Let me do my thing, starting with shouting you a good meal, and a drink or two!"

[Sojourn - sidekick roll - Strong Hit = Resupply + Hearten]

Momentum Health Spirit Supply Wayfinder Astrid Ship
8 5 5 3 4 4 5

Mongoose and Wayfinder share a delicious meal of burgers, fries, fruit pies and icecream for dessert. Then some beers and stories. Wayfinder insists Mongoose should call her "Jools", and Wayfinder lets Jools know her name is Halia.

Halia asks Jools how she managed to only get vacuum burned on one side of her body? The mood turns more sombre as Wayfinder regales the story of the space-walk out of the Drift Runner without a vacsuit to the escape pod, getting inside but struggling to get the door closed again, sticking her arm out the gap to free some debris to get the airlock closed, but that arm becoming frozen beyond healing. She opens and closes her cybernetic hand telling the tale.

They get adjoining cramped rooms in a pod hotel overlooking the hydroponic gardens, and have such a good sleep!

Next "day", Jools has been up for a while, tells Halia to meet with Isaac Bond in manufacturing, he should be able to help resupply the Ultraviolet. Meanwhile Jools is going to talk to some of the engineering crew about computers, and try to chase up Eveline.

[Gather Information - Wayfinder - 8 vs 10|5 - weak hit]

Momentum Health Spirit Supply Wayfinder Astrid Ship
9 5 5 3 4 4 5

Wayfinder finds out that Evelin was indeed the best computer person on base, but that reputation means she was offered a lot of creds to help with issues elsewhere. She headed to the Algol system, to Freya, a settlement on the Vital planet of Erebos.

[Mark Progress: I vow to find someone who can get answers from this AI :4 boxes]